The present invention relates to a vacuum insulation material and a thermal insulation container using the vacuum insulation material, comprising an open-celled rigid polyurethane foam as a component, capable of being utilized in various applications such as a freezing and refrigerating apparatus, a freezer, a refrigerated vehicle, a freezing container, a transportation and storage of LNG and LPG, a storage container, a pipe cover, a housing panel, and the like.
Recently, aiming at protection of the ozone layer and prevention of the global warming for global environmental protection, there have eagerly been sought use of less or non fluorocarbon and energy saving in various production fields, and hence substitution of some materials has been desired. Among such materials, a thermal insulation material including a rigid polyurethane foam has been one of the targets of such material substitution.
Therefore, various kinds of technologies have been proposed in the thermal insulation material production field, and for example, as a technology for realizing no use of fluorocarbon, there have been a known production method using water as a blowing agent. Further, aiming at energy saving, there have been proposed, for example, a vacuum insulation panel structure prepared by filing a packet composed of a gas barrier material-plastic laminate film with a core material for maintaining a predetermined shape, for example, inorganic powder or an open-celled structure, and sealing the packet under reduced pressure.
Under the circumstance described above, because rigid polyurethane foams comprising open cells have a light weight and exhibit high performance, they are attracting much attention as a thermal insulation material for freezing and refrigerating apparatus, in particular as a core material of the aforementioned vacuum insulation panel, which can contribute to the prevention of global warming.
For example, Japanese Patent Examined publication No. 63-61589, Japanese Patent Unexamined publication No. 6-213561, a seminar report of Japan Thermophysical Property Study Group [Nippon Netsu-bussei kenkyu-kai] (Jun. 30, 1989) and the like proposed to obtain high performance vacuum insulation materials with an open-celled rigid polyurethane foam foamed by C02 from water isocyanate reaction as a core material by using finer cell size or controlling the shape of the cells in the foams.
Although the vacuum insulation material of the conventional art may be utilized for a refrigerator and a cold-box as a simple plate panel, the use of vacuum insulation material does not extend to a cylindrical or spherical objects such as a pipe cover, a thermos bottle, a flange cover, a valve cover, and a vacuum vessel, which however is highly possible.
 less than A greater than  It is an object of this invention to facilitate the deformation of vacuum insulation material having an open-celled rigid foam as a core material.
 less than B greater than  It is another object of this invention to provide an effective freezing and refrigerating apparatus and insulation container utilizing the vacuum insulation material.
This invention relates to: a method of deforming a vacuum insulation material, comprising steps of inserting a thermoplastic open-celled rigid foam as a core material into a packet composed of a gas barrier film, evacuating and sealing the packet so as to produce a vacuum insulation material, heating and softening the vacuum insulation material so as to deform the same, and cooling the vacuum insulation material so as to cure the same; a method of deforming a vacuum insulating material according to the above mentioned, wherein the method further comprises steps of inserting the vacuum insulation material in a heating furnace so as to soften the same, deforming the vacuum insulation material to be positioned in a mold, placing the deformed vacuum insulation material in the furnace, and cooling the deformed vacuum insulation material so as to cure the same.
In the method of deforming a vacuum insulating material according to the above mentioned invention, the method further comprises steps of forming a notched groove on the core material and heating around the notched groove so as to deform the vacuum insulation material.
In the method of deforming a vacuum insulating material according to the above mentioned invention, the open-celled rigid foam is an open-cell rigid polyurethane foam or an open-celled rigid polystyrene foam.
In the method of deforming a vacuum insulating material according to the above mentioned invention, the open-celled rigid foam is an open-cell rigid polyurethane foam and is about 0.55-0.95 in terms of equivalent ratio of NCO/OH.
In the method of deforming a vacuum insulating material according to the above mentioned invention, the open-celled rigid foam is an open-cell rigid polyurethane foam and a means for performing the foam molding comprises the following steps (A)-(C):
(A) steps of mixing foaming components and pouring the foaming components into a chink where said mixed foaming components are produced to freely rise the same;
(B) a step of compressing the foam during the free foaming step of (A) before the gel time, i.e., a first compression step, and
(C) a step of compressing the compressed foam obtained in the step of (B) before the rise time, i.e., a second compression step.
In the method of deforming a vacuum insulating material according to the above mentioned invention, said vacuum insulation material is covered by metallic or plastic film.
In the method of deforming a vacuum insulation material according to the above mentioned invention, said vacuum insulation material is dipped into organic polymer solution to be coated thereon.
The method of deforming a vacuum insulation material, comprises steps of forming a notched groove on a surface of the core material of the open-celled rigid foam, inserting the same into a packet composed of a gas barrier film, evacuating and sealing the container so as to produce a vacuum insulation material, and deforming around the notched groove of the core material.
The method of fixing vacuum insulation material, comprises steps of placing a deformed vacuum insulation material on an insulating section of a container, pouring a rigid polyurethane foaming components comprising a polyol component, an isocyanate component, and a blowing agent into a cavity of the insulating section to foam, and fixing the vacuum insulation material on the insulating section.
The freezing and refrigerating apparatus, comprises a vacuum insulation material, obtained through steps of inserting a core material in a packet composed of a gas barrier film and evacuating and sealing the same, and a Peltier element.
The freezing and refrigerating apparatus, comprises a vacuum insulation material, obtained through steps of inserting a core material in a packet composed of a gas barrier film and evacuating and sealing the same, a general vacuum insulation material, and a Peltier element.
A freezing and refrigerating apparatus is described, wherein a deformed vacuum insulation material, obtained through steps of inserting a thermoplastic open-celled rigid foam as a core material into a packet composed of a gas barrier film, evacuating the packet to seal the same, is placed on an insulating section of the container; an insulation material such as a rigid polyurethane foam is inserted into a chink of the insulating section; and a Peltier element is utilized as a cooler.
An insulation container having an insulation material around the containing space is described, wherein said insulation material is a vacuum insulation material in which an open-celled rigid foam formed to a skin layer is covered by a gas barrier film to vacuumize the inside.
In the above-described insulation container, an open-celled rigid foam to a skin is a rigid polyurethane foam obtained by foaming a foaming mixture comprising a polyol component, an isocyanate component, and a blowing agent and has an open cell content of not less than 99% in a state that the obtained skin layer is left as it is.
In the above-described insulation container, the open-celled rigid foam formed to a skin is a rigid polyurethane foam obtained by the steps of compressing a forming components comprising a polyol component, an isocyanate component, and a blowing agent before the gel time and further compressing the same before the rise time.
In the above-described insulation container, the vacuum insulation material is placed in a space between an inner material and an outer material and the rigid polyurethane foam is injected in the remaining space.
In the above-described insulation container, the vacuum insulation material is a deformed vacuum insulation material obtained through deforming a plate vacuum insulation material in conformity with the circumferential surface of the containing space.
An insulation container having an insulation material around the containing space is described, wherein said insulation material is a deformed vacuum insulation material in which an open-celled rigid foam is covered by a gas barrier film to evacuate the inside and said vacuum insulation material is heated to be softened to deform in conformity with the circumferential surface of the containing space and cooled to cure the same.
In the above-described insulation container, the gas barrier film comprises a plastic film and metal or ceramic foil or evaporation of ceramic foil.
The insulation container according the above mentioned invention, wherein a Peltier element is inserted into the insulation container to act as a cooling container to cool the containing space.
A method for manufacturing an insulation container having an insulation material around the containing space is described, wherein said method further comprises steps of freely rising foaming components comprising a polyol component, an isocyanate component, and a blowing agent, compressing said foaming components before the gel time, further compressing the same before the rise time, forming a rigid polyurethane foam having an open cell content of not less than 99% in a state that the obtained skin layer is left as it is, covering the rigid polyurethane foam with a gas barrier film, evacuating the inside to produce the vacuum insulation material, heating and softening the vacuum insulation material to deform the same, and having the cooled and cured vacuum insulation material around the containing space.
A method for manufacturing an insulation container according to the above mentioned is described, wherein said insulation material is heated to be softened to deform and cooled to cure the same.
A method for manufacturing an insulation container having an insulation material around the containing space is described, wherein said insulation material is a deformed vacuum insulation material in which an open-celled rigid foam is covered by a gas barrier film to evacuate the inside and said vacuum insulation material is heated to be softened to deform in conformity with the circumferential surface of the containing space and cooled to cure the same.
A method for manufacturing an insulation container having an insulation material around the containing space is described, wherein said insulation material is a deformed vacuum insulation material in which an open-celled rigid foam is covered by a gas barrier film to evacuate the inside; a notched groove is formed on a core material of the vacuum insulation material in conformity with a shape of the containing space; the core material around the notched groove is deformed in conformity with the circumferential surface of the containing space to obtain the deformed vacuum insulation material; and said deformed vacuum insulation material is positioned around the containing space.